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Sleep Disturbances

Alcohol withdrawal has multiple signs and symptoms. Recent posts on this blog have looked at tremors or shakes, appetite disturbance, anxiety and nose bleeds. Another key symptom is trouble sleeping. Sleep disturbances include intense dreaming and nightmares.

The withdrawal of Alcohol can cause symptoms that negatively effect sleep. Alcohol withdrawal causes neurological excitation and makes it difficult for a person to fall asleep. Alcohol is often used by people to help them get to sleep. When you take alcohol away, it’s often hard to fall asleep.

A publication by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism on sleep and alcohol identify withdrawal sleep disturbances as follows:

Active Drinking, Withdrawal and Sleep Disturbances.Sleep disturbances associated with alcoholism include increased time required to fall asleep, frequent awakenings, and a decrease in subjective sleep quality associated with daytime fatigue . Abrupt reduction of heavy drinking can trigger alcohol withdrawal syndrome, accompanied by pronounced insomnia with marked sleep fragmentation. Decreased SWS during withdrawal may reduce the amount of restful sleep. It has been suggested that increased REM may be related to the hallucinations that sometimes occur during withdrawal. In patients with severe withdrawal, sleep may consist almost entirely of brief periods of REM interrupted by numerous awakenings.

Executive Home Detox provides a private in home detox for clients who cannot or will not access conventional treatment. The nurse assigned to the client observes for sleep disturbances and works with the prescribing physician to encourage interventions that will assist the client to have healthy sleep during withdrawal and in early recovery.

Most of our clients sleep vey well during the detox process and continue to sleep well during early recovery.